Invading Invasives - Activities

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

 

Background

Not familiar with the Keweenaw Peninsula? Start here: Keweenaw National Historical Park Website
Learn more about our Keweenaw Heritage Site at the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park Website
Learn more about Sea Lamprey from the Great Lakes Research and Education Center - Sea Lamprey Article

The Great Lakes make up 20% of fresh surface water on the planet. In fact, Lake Superior makes up 10% of all fresh surface water in the world. Oceans contain 96% of all the water on the planet, while fresh surface water makes up less than 1%.

It is important to protect the Great Lakes as such a limited resource. There are many threats to the Great Lakes, that could cause irreversible damage.

The water from the Great Lakes flows out to the Atlantic Ocean. Natural barriers, such as Niagara Falls, used to prevent animals that lived in the ocean from coming into the lakes. Shipping and navigation needed routes around obstacles like waterfalls. Canals and locks such as the Soo Locks and Welland Canal were built to meet those needs. These passages let ships cross from the ocean to the Great Lakes, but it also let plants, fish and other creatures into the freshwater lakes.

These species aren’t native to the Great Lakes ecosystem. One example of a fish that found its way up the canal and into the Great Lakes is the sea lamprey.
Sea lamprey are parasites, which means they prey on other fish. As an invasive species, sea lamprey don’t have any natural predators and therefore they have almost wiped out the population of native lake trout.
When sea lamprey are adults, they use their sharp teeth and suction cup mouths to latch onto fish. They then use their tongue to penetrate the side of the fish and feed on their blood. Fish in the ocean are much larger than in the Great Lakes and are therefore able to survive sea lamprey.
However, smaller fish in freshwater lakes are easily wiped out by the sea lamprey. It’s estimated that adult sea lamprey kill around 40 pounds of fish in their lifetime. During breeding, sea lamprey can lay anywhere between 80,000 and 100,000 eggs.

 

Lesson Plan

Essential Questions

• What are invasive species and how do they cause harm? 
• What kind of invasive species live in the Great Lakes? 
• How have humans altered the natural world to allow for invasive species? 

Enduring Understanding

• Sea lamprey in the Great Lakes have a significant impact on the native animals

Objectives

• Explain one way sea lamprey are bad for the Great Lakes
• Explain how humans have altered the natural world to allow invasive species into the Great Lakes
• Be able to identify sea lamprey from other fish

Instructional Time

30 minutes to 1 hour
*Activities may be done at the instructor's pace in individual segments or across multiple days. 

Recommended Materials

• Computers
• Printed teaching materials
• Large space for tag game

Preparation

• Read through background information
• Minimal prep for suggested activities, alternate activities have more prep

Learning Standards

Michigan K-12 Speaking and Listening Standards:
SL 4.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Michigan K-12 Language Standards:
L 4.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Michigan K-12 Geography Standards:
4 – G4.0.3
Describe some of the movements of resources, goods, people, and information to, from, or within the United States, and explain the reasons for the movements.
Other Standards:

S.RS.04.18
Describe the effect humans and other organisms have on the balance of the natural world.
L.EC.04.11
Identify organisms as part of a food chain or food web
L.EC.04.21
Explain how environmental changes can produce a change in the food web or chain

Intelligences

People learn in a variety of different ways and understanding these ways can help meet the needs of learners and contribute to a successful learning environment.
Howard Gardner, an American psychologist, developed the idea behind people having a variety of intelligences impacting how they learn. This is referred to as Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. The activities in this lesson will focus on various different intelligences as noted in each activity. 

Assessment

Students will be able to orally explain how humans have changed the Great Lakes to allow for invasive species. Student will also be able to identify and explain why sea lamprey are harmful to the Great Lakes environment

Resources

Introduction Video
Sea Lamprey Photo Gallery
Sea Lamprey Freeze Tag Activity

Student Learning Extensions

Visit the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

 

Activities

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 53 seconds

Intro Video for Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

 

Discussion Questions

1. How were sea lamprey originally kept out of the Great Lakes?
2. Why are sea lamprey a concern in the Great Lakes?

 

Sea Lamprey Photo Gallery

Activity Objective: Understand the physical characteristics and recognize Sea Lamprey in the Great Lakes. This will show students the organism's distinctive features while also teaching how the species impact the Great Lakes environment. Uses the spatial, interpersonal and linguistic intelligences.

1. In small groups allow students time to explore the photo gallery
2. Hold a groupd discussion or have students "turn and talk" and answer the following questions or similar ones:
   1. Why do the sea lamprey have teeth?
   2. What do you think the teeth feel like?
   3. Do you think sea lamprey will latch on to humans?
   4. How long does it take for the larva to become adult lamprey?
   5. How many eggs can a sea lamprey lay at once?

 

These are sea lamprey eggs. A female sea lamprey can lay anywhere between 80,000 to 100,000 eggs at a time.

NPS/Cole Risko

In the larva stage, sea lamprey don't feed on fish. Instead, they filter water and feed on particles until they can grow eyes, teeth and a mouth.

NPS/ Cole Risko

At the end of the larva phase sea lamprey grow eyes.

NPS/ Cole Risko

Sea lamprey have eyes to see and gills to breath. The line of holes behind the eye are gills.

NPS/ Logan Pickart

The sea lamprey's mouth is as wide as its body.

NPS/ Logan Pickart

Sea lamprey have sharp teeth to help them latch onto fish and a serrated tongue that allows them to puncture their prey.

NPS/ Cole Risko

Sea Lamprey in the Great Lakes are usually one to two feet in length.

NPS/ Logan Pickart

A model of a fish with sea lamprey attached.

NPS/Cole Risko

 

 

Sea Lamprey Freeze Tag

Activity Objective: Interactively learn about how difficult it is to get rid of sea lamprey. Uses the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.

1. This activity needs to take place in a large space, either outside or in a gym or similar space.
2. Depending on group size pick one or more students to be "sea lamprey." This is the tagger role.
3. All other students are "fish" in the lake.
4. Once the "sea lamprey" tags a "fish," the "fish" is frozen.
5. One all, or most of the fish are frozen, the game ends.
6. Play one more round, but now choose a few students to be "scientists." These players can tag frozen students to bring them back into the game. "Scientists can also tag "sea lamprey" to remove them from the game.
7. Following this game have a short discussion with students on the following or similar questions"
   • Were you surprised with how fast fish were frozen in the first game?
   • How different was the speed of the games? Did the "scientists" make it easier or harder for the "sea lamprey"?
   • Based on this activity, do you think invasive species are hard to stop?